Carnauba Project, Brazil

See the progress you helped make happen in your sponsored community

When the project started, scarce water resources and lack of skills made it hard for farmers in rural areas of this community to earn enough income.

Many children were not attending school and were vulnerable to disease and malnutrition, especially in rural areas where hygiene and sanitation were poor.

Thanks to your support, your sponsored child and other children in the Carnauba community have seen positive changes in education and healthcare; their families have more opportunities to earn income and there is greater awareness of child rights.

Together we've achieved so much

90 percent of children attended school in 2016

This has increased from 62 percent in 2006.

  • 70 percent of children who took part in the project’s educational activities experienced learning success, such as completing high school.
  • 2,000 children took part in a reading improvement program.
  • Children gained access to daily after-school activities including dance, music, art, theatre, sports and a toy library. This helped them develop life skills and self-confidence and provided them with a safe place to be outside of school.

130 families were supported with access to clean water

This helped them survive a severe drought that hit the project area during 2013.

  • Community health and child nutrition education has helped to reduce the number of children affected by malnutrition.
  • The project worked with local authorities to improve housing policy which led to the eradication of rural houses made from mud.
  • Hygiene education has been conducted amongst families, and children received hygiene kits so they could practise what they learned.
  • Families have been supported to create home vegetable gardens so they can provide their children with more nutritious meals.

100 women with limited education completed skills training

These women can now run their own small businesses.

  • Farmers have been trained in organic production and supported to set up irrigation schemes. They have been able to improve their children’s diets and develop new income sources.
  • Local producer groups made up of women and youth are selling products including vegetables, fruit pulp, sugarcane juice, powdered milk tablets, chicken and eggs, and clothing via fair trade networks.
  • Young people have completed vocational training in fields such as screen printing.
  • A local farmers’ market has been revived so producers have a fixed location to sell their goods.

"I was able to develop my talents and to contribute to my community in a way that I never imagined."

- Emiliano, student, aged 20